Brush seals have been used in many types of commercial and industrial equipment to help provide an airtight or gas tight seal that can act as a thermal barrier that prevents heat or energy loss. A brush seal typically includes or is a brush formed of a series of filaments folded over one another and held in place by a tape or spine with the filaments extending outwardly of the tape or spine defining brush bristles whose ends or tips brush against a surface that can be moving relative to the brush to provide a seal.
Such a brush seal is an assembly that includes a brush typically mounted in a holder that is in turn rigidly attached to a piece of commercial or industrial equipment in a manner that locates each brush held by the holder in a desired sealing position. When the equipment in which a brush seal assembly is installed is taken down for maintenance, workers often need access to parts of the equipment in and around the brush seal assembly.
Quite often, the bristles of the brush of a brush seal assembly end up being exposed and vulnerable to damage by workers performing maintenance whether or not the brush itself needs replacing. Workers stepping in and around a brush seal can damages the bristles of its brush thereby necessitating premature brush replacement or, even worse, compromising the seal of the brush when the equipment is put back in operation. Just as vulnerable, however, is the holder as its integrity is necessary for maintaining proper brush seal positioning, mounting, and operation.